Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

The Parasol Protectorate, Book 1

Tags: historical paranormal romance, vampires, werewolves, mystery

Rating: 4 out of 5


Summary

Alexia Tarabotti is not your average Victorian spinster. That’s because she’s a preternatural: a soulless being with the ability to negate the supernatural aspects of creatures such as vampires and werewolves. When Alexia accidentally kills a rogue vampire, she becomes embroiled in a supernatural mystery overseen by Lord Maccon, the dangerous and dashing alpha werewolf in charge of policing supernatural activity.

Maccon and Alexia’s headstrong personalities clash—letting off hot sparks—as the mystery deepens. Something big and sinister is threatening the well-being of supernaturals and preternaturals, and, armed with her trusty brass-tipped parasol, Alexia helps Lord Maccon get down to the bottom of this mess before both of their lives are in extreme danger.

Review

I am a HUGE fan of well-executed Austenian wit and satisfying paranormal romances—in fact, I go almost positively fangirl over those aspects—but I’ve always been wary of a blend of the two. Luckily, first-time novelist Gail Carriger has completely succeeded in this ambitious endeavor. SOULLESS is a brilliant and witty steampunk paranormal romance mystery, and one that I’ll be raving about for weeks to come—indeed, if I can ever stop raving about it.

The wry tone of narration in SOULLESS, combined with its engaging characters, makes for an utterly delightful read. For sure, it is most likely not the first time in the history of the English language that an ornery and independent spinster is a main character, but Alexia Tarabotti goes above and beyond the type. Her preternatural “abilities” seem to perfectly complement her personality, unusual for the Victorian age.

Supporting characters, too, are a blast to read about. It doesn’t hurt that Lord Maccon is sexy and adorably gruff. Alexia and Lord Maccon’s chemistry is undeniably good, but it also doesn’t direct the course of the novel, which I appreciated. The paranormal/mystery element of the plot is a little rough sometimes, but it certainly does not detract from one’s enjoyment of reading this book.

Overall, SOULLESS is a cross-genre delight that will be adored by all different kinds of readers. Gail Carriger, you have a solid fan in me, and I will be looking forward impatiently to future books about Alexia and Lord Maccon!

Similar Authors
Jane Austen

Writing: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5


Cover discussion: 3 out of 5 - I'm not very attracted to it, and it was really more the premise and the excellent recommendations people gave it that really motivated me to get this book. The title design and placement is a little childish, and the model is not how I pictured Alexia at all. However, a lot of people like the cover, and I must say it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of this book!

Orbit / Oct. 2009 / Mass Market Paperback / 384pp. / $7.99

This copy was bought and reviewed for my own leisure.

850+ followers! Another Blogoversary Giveaway Update

Thank you so much for helping me spread the word about my blogoversary giveaway. As promised, since we've reached another milestone (850 followers), I'll be adding the following two ARCs to the pile of ARCs you can win!

 

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey (signed)

The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee

Yes, I know a lot of you want these. There are still a few more weeks to reach 900 followers, at which point I will increase the prizes people receive yet again! Go HERE for more information about my blogoversary giveaway. Don't forget to fill out THE FORM to enter! (Entries in the comments will not count.)

Waiting on Wednesday (51)

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork

When Pancho arrives at St. Anthony's Home, he knows his time there will be short: If his plans succeed, he'll soon be arrested for the murder of his sister's killer. But then he's assigned to help D.Q., whose brain cancer has slowed neither his spirit nor his mouth. D.Q. tells Pancho all about his "Death Warrior's Manifesto," which will help him to live out his last days fully--ideally, he says, with the love of the beautiful Marisol. As Pancho tracks down his sister's murderer, he finds himself falling under the influence of D.Q. and Marisol, who is everything D.Q. said she would be; and he is inexorably drawn to a decision: to honor his sister and her death, or embrace the way of the Death Warrior and choose life.


Nuanced in its characters and surprising in its plot developments--both soulful and funny--Pancho & D.Q. is a "buddy novel" of the highest kind: the story of a friendship that helps two young men become all they can be. [summary from B&N.com]

I just read Marcelo in the Real World and all I could think was, why didn't I read this sooner? It was an incredible novel. The characterization was effortless, and the story was sweet and memorable. Francisco Stork is a genius writer destined to be known among the greats such as Laurie Halse Anderson in his ability to write about tough subjects yet create reader empathy for the characters. I don't think it will be possible for me not to like this book!

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors will be published in hardcover by Scholastic on March 1, 2010.

Review: All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

Tags: YA, mystery, murder, drugs

Rating: 2 out of 5


Summary

Neily was Carly’s ex-boyfriend. Audrey was Carly’s cousin and ex-best friend. Right before Carly was found murdered, she called Neily’s cell phone, and, when he didn’t pick up, left a cryptic message. Audrey’s father was found guilty of the murder, but now, a year after Carly’s death, Audrey is fairly certain that her father didn’t do it, and that the real killer is still out there. Audrey and Neily team up to discover Carly’s tangled secrets and implicate the real murderer.

Review

I have to admit, I did not take to this book. Excellent writing clashes with unsympathetic characters and a snail-like plot to make ALL UNQUIET THINGS a difficult read for me.

There is no question that Jarzab’s writing is great. Like Curtis Sittenfeld, Jarzab meticulously analyzes nearly every facet of Neily, Audrey, and Carly, making them feel as if they could be your flawed classmates. However, also like Sittenfeld’s characters in Prep, Neily, Audrey, and Carly simply aren’t very likable, sympathetic, or appealing. We know their history and their thought processes as if they were our therapy patients—an overly intimate and annoying form of relationship that I, as a reader, found disturbing and unenjoyable.

I don’t really mind psychoanalysis—at least not when the person has some ultimately redeemable qualities. However, the three main characters in ALL UNQUIET THINGS are just so unlikable. Neily spends most of his time sulking and remembering the past, his relationship with Carly, while Audrey bullies Neily into helping her uncover the mystery behind the identity of Carly’s murderer.

I also found an unsettling disjuncture between how Audrey and Neily are in the present time, and who they were in their flashbacks. I think this is a result of all the telling-not-showing that went on in the narration. I don’t want Neily to tell us that he hates Carly’s new friends, then be shown a passing moment in which they snap off, like, two biting remarks to one another; I’d rather see the tension between the characters, the strain of the past versus the present, of what they think of one another versus who they truly are. As a result, I couldn’t connect to the main characters as real people, so much like untouchable character sketches they were.

I mentioned earlier that Anna Jarzab is a great writer, and I’m not contradicting myself by saying so: if you enjoy ultra-complete character analyses, you’ll find this a great book, a wonderful achievement by a debut author. However, I felt that her writing skills were unfortunately used in the wrong way—too much in the telling and flashbacks, and not enough in the playing out of a genuinely interesting story arc—which led to my lack of connection with the book.

Similar Authors
Curtis Sittenfeld (Prep)
Amy Efaw (After)

Writing: 4/5
Characters: 2/5
Plot: 1/5

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5


Cover discussion: 4.5 out of 5 - This is a fabulous cover. It's stark and eye-catching, and doesn't fall into all the YA cover cliches noticeable out there. Personally I'm a big fan of "blocked" covers, in which a portion of the cover is one solid color. This one uses it well. So creepy, yet eye-grabbing.

Random House / Jan. 12, 2010 / Hardcover / 352pp. / $17.99

Review copies received at NCTE and from Random House.